When preparing for a dental procedure, including dental implants, bone grafting and maxillofacial reconstruction, accurately determining an ideal location in the mouth for the procedure can be paramount to its success. For example, when inserting a dental implant, the patient's bone structure, the condition of the patient's bone density, and the presence of other oral structures in the mouth may effect where an implant is positioned. Therefore, a dentist and/or dental technician must be aware of the anatomical structures below the gum tissue, as well as, any structures located above the gum tissue.
Tomography scans have been used to capture images of structures located above and below the gum tissue. However, tomography scans including computerized tomography (CT) scan images, cone beam computerized tomography (CB CT) scan images, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan images, and other 3D imaging devise are subject to image scattering when certain materials such as filings or crowns are present in a mouth. Thus, tomography scans may be unreliable, inaccurate and unusable as a proper diagnostic tool.
Surface scans including intra-oral scanners, optical image scanners, and laser image scanners have also been used to capture images of structures located in a mouth. However, surface scans may not accurately depict structures existing below the gum tissue.
Given scatter and other types of inaccuracies in the data, simply aligning an outline of oral structures in tomography scan data to an outline of the same structures in surface scan data may not accurately represent the location of oral structures within a mouth. Therefore, there is a need for a device that may be used to accurately align tomography scan data and surface scan data to provide a more accurate representation of a mouth. There is also a need for a system for using the device to more accurately align the tomography scan data set and the surface scan data.